A new study found the brains of people diagnosed with autism are 'unusually sensitive' to the environment in which they are raised

It is a theory that challenges conventional views of autism.

The mere mention of the condition evokes a stereotype - a socially-awkward child who struggles to comprehend the world around them.

But growing evidence suggests that those children diagnosed with autism are in fact 'hyper-functional', possessing 'supercharged' brains that are acutely sensitive to the world around them.

Now, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, have shown that the brains of rats with autism are 'unusually sensitive to rearing environment'.

The authors note that 'like an orchid, it (an autistic brain) requires specific conditions to flourish'.

The scientists said: 'These findings are consistent with the Intense World Theory of autism, which proposes that autistic brains process and store information excessively... together suggesting that a predictable enriched environment could provide a safe haven of structural anchors in a world of sensory and emotional overflow.'

In 2007, researchers Kamila Markam, Henry Markam and Tania Rinaldi developed the Intense World Theory of autism.

It proposes that autism is the consequence of a supercharged brain that makes the world a painfully intense place.

It suggests that the symptoms of autism are the result of people being forced to develop strategies to actively avoid the intensity and pain.

The theory predicts that a child with autism retreats into a controllable and predictable bubble to protect themselves.

In the latest study, researchers including Kamila and Henry Markam, found evidence to support the theory.

'These unusual features of the autistic brain would render the world overly intense, and potentially aversive.'

Researchers exposed a group of rats to a drug called valporate (VPA) - a process often used by scientists to model the condition in rodents for the purpose of autism research.

The rats were then exposed to three different environments: a typical cage, an unpredictable enriched environment and a predictable enriched environment.

Swiss researchers found rats reared in predictable environments were less likely to exhibit autistic traits. Their findings, they note, complement the theory that autism is the consequence of a supercharged brain that makes the world a painfully intense place

The second and third, enriched environments featured a running wheel, toys and places to hide.

In the unpredictable model researchers regularly cleaned the cages, changing the toys and reorganising the space.

Meanwhile in the predictable model, the cage was arranged in exactly the same way after cleaning.

The scientists' findings showed rats exposed to VPA were more sensitive to their living environments than control rats.

'It’s important to us that we move away from the autism as a deficit model. These children are hyperfunctional and they can’t bear their environment

Kamila Markam, researcher

Those living in a predictable environment didn't develop the symptoms of anxiety and fear that those living in an unpredictable environment did.

Their findings suggest the symptoms of autism are exacerbated by living in an unpredictable environment devoid of routine.

The researchers also noted that living in a very predictable environment can prevent autistic traits from developing, raising hopes of new therapies to help treat the condition.

They concluded: 'This study suggests that rearing in a predictable environment prevents the development of hyper-emotional features in animals exposed to an autism risk factor, and demonstrates that unpredictable environments can lead to negative outcomes, even in the presence of environmental enrichment.'

Kamila Markam told Time, it is important that people change the way they view autism.

She said: 'It’s important to us that we move away from the autism as a deficit model. These children are hyperfunctional and they can’t bear their environment.

'If you have that view, it changes the way you look at research. If you’re a parent, you’ll treat your child in a different way.'